Luddites Alive & Well In Virginia

It's one thing to be opposed to the mining of uranium. It's another to be opposed to being exposed to information on the subject. What exactly are House members afraid they'll learn?

The perplexing news:

House Panel Rejects Study of Uranium Mining
By Anita Kumar, Washington Post Staff Writer

Richmond, March 3 -- Lawmakers concerned about land, air and drinking water contamination killed a proposal Monday that would have allowed a study of whether uranium can be safely mined on 200 acres in south-central Virginia, eliminating any chance that the controversial bill could pass this year.

After more than an hour of debate, the House Rules Committee defeated a bill that opponents argued would be the first step toward lifting a 25-year-old state ban on uranium mining.

"I think caution is the best course," said Del. Clarke N. Hogan (R-Charlotte), whose district gets drinking water from the area. Hogan, a committee member, has been skeptical of the study for months and is widely credited with convincing other House members to oppose it. (link)

We refuse to be given additional information!

Apparently the legislation was defeated by voice vote so we'll not know exactly which delegates were frightened by the notion that the people of Virginia might be exposed to additional knowledge - beyond the impartial and completely balanced study that came out in Jane Fonda's exhaustive work delivered in The Chinda Syndrome - on the subject.

Strange. Really strange.